It’s 2-wheeled war, and a group of push-bikers stand to take over the city of London, England, if the mayor knuckles under to their demands.
The London Cycling Campaign has asked Mayor Boris Johnson not to pass a law allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes – what we call HOV lanes.
Under the headline “Stop Boris Johnson risking lives with decision on motorbikes in bus lanes,” the group’s website says allowing motorcycles into bus lanes could “disbenefit cyclists and pedestrians.”
“Providing new high speed channels for motorcycles along major roads will inevitably increase motorcycle use,” said Tom Bogdanowicz., the campaign’s campaign manager.
“More motorcycle traffic will spread to all streets in London and will bring with it an increase in casualties for vulnerable road users. We’re asking our supporters to urge the Mayor to consider the safety impact on all London streets for every road user before any decision on allowing high-speed vehicles into bus lanes is made.
“It is well established that motorcycles are involved in a greater proportion of collisions per kilometre with pedestrians and cyclists than are cars.”
The mayor will “rubber stamp” the bill into law, allowing motorcycles into bus lanes, if he’s not set right about the matter, the group says.
You can send them a friendly note, if you like, by visiting www.lcc.org.uk.
The veracity of their claims aside (if there is any truth to the rate of motorcycle/pedestrian collisions being higher than car/pedestrian, I’d lay it all to the fault of the pedestrian not looking for traffic before walking blindly out into the road) – what really irritates me about this sort of thinking, is the implied assumption that [b]their [/b]rights to bicycle or walk on the roadway is [b]greater[/b] than the motorcyclist’s right to ride there. What the fark are sidewalks for?
If you don’t want to risk collisions with motorcycles, stay home.